Whole Class Discipline. While we might call it different things: Discipline, Behavior Management, Creating a Classroom Climate, most teachers have engaged in whole class discipline. It's really any time that a teacher rewards or hands out consequences based on the behavior of a group, rather than the actions of an individual.

​Does any of this sound familiar?

Keeping kids after the bell as a consequence for behavior

Taking time off of recess as a consequence for behavior

Stopping an activity (or saying we can't do an activity) because of behavior

Collecting puffs or jewels or coins in a jar, allowing kids to earn rewards for whole class behavior.

Placing tally marks or minutes on the board to represent how quickly a whole class can get quiet or focus

Branding has come up recently in education, largely due to the April publication of a book written by Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin called BrandED: Tell Your Story, Build Relationships, and Empower Learning. I have long been fascinated by brands and branding, perhaps driven by the time I spent working as a librarian at an advertising agency and later at a big pharmaceutical and consumer goods company. I love the idea of bringing branding into schools and building a professional brand. And, I find it makes such logical sense as the director of a library program because our goals so closely align with the purpose of branding: We need to share our library story, communicate our messaging, and build relationships.

​Earlier this week I had the honor of speaking to the leaders of Fairfax County Public Schools Region 2. This group included Principals, Assistant Principals and Directors of Students Services from elementary, middle and high schools. This was an amazing opportunity to celebrate our collective achievements. It was also a chance to put forth some ideas, offering an unvarnished teacher's perspective of how administrators can better support teachers in our role. ​